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Author Topic: Driving the ALCAN Highway  (Read 11185 times)

Offline cohoho

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Driving the ALCAN Highway
« on: February 04, 2008, 11:11:42 AM »
Was going through some stuff and remembered got a couple questions from some folks about the drive from Alaska to here, so I figured I'd put together a photo outline of what we saw on the way down.  Hey it's winter and we got to have something to do...

Offline cohoho

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2008, 11:15:03 AM »
Some more as we went...

Offline cohoho

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2008, 11:20:25 AM »
And finally some more..............

Offline saylean

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2008, 01:02:05 PM »
Thanks for the pics...I want to drive that road...I am thinking I might do it this spring for the funk of it.

;)

Offline Slider

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2008, 02:03:26 PM »
Nice!!! Makes we want to go for a drive!!!

Offline Skyvalhunter

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2008, 02:22:52 PM »
So was that a Spring time drive that you drove it? Drove up there in 1989 to go on a moose hunt out of Anchorage. Drove straight thru and from Everett it was 43 hours. I thought I was going fast but I had semi's flying by me like I was standing stil. I carried extra gas and spare tires but never had and problems with flat tires. But alot of the gravel road has since been paved.  It's well worth the drive everyone should do it.
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Offline cohoho

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2008, 05:16:14 PM »
1 June 07, spring yes, just after snow was off the ground all the way down. Most of the main "Tourist Traps" weren't open yet, but plenty of gas stations and hotels, we camped a few times also.  The road is now 99% paved unlike in 2000...  except for the remote part of the trip, with a route all the way north through Chicken via Over the Top highway to Dawson that just opened two days before we crossed into Canada. Recommend the trip to anyone, excellent time frame and great views.  I hate to admit this but all the animals were in Canada and the best view too...
I might be driving back up this spring, taking a friends Air Boat that he is in the process of buying from Texas, keeping my fingers crossed that his purchase goes through, he'll pay for my trip both ways plus some extra for my troubles, and I'll be back for another spring bear hunt, a Halibut trip and King Salmon fishing for close to free.... Plus, I can finally bring down the antlers I promised someone on this site.... I know where they are at.... and it isn't in my garage....

Offline actionshooter

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2008, 07:36:49 PM »
cool pics, thanks!

Offline jackelope

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2008, 09:45:37 PM »
awesome pics, cohoho. i have wanted to do that trip for a long time. i even bought a copy of the milestone, but never got around to it, and the way things are going, never will.
:fire.:

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Offline Head-shot

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2008, 09:59:10 AM »
Those are some really cool pics. That is a dream trip I am waiting to take. Just waiting till my boys are a little older and we don't have to stop to pee every hour. Thanks for sharing the pics my boys loved them...
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or destroy it, piss on it and walk away!

Offline Michelle_Nelson

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2008, 10:09:33 AM »
Love the pic's!  That is one FAT Elk.  Looks like a cow with antlers!

Offline PacificNWhunter

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #11 on: February 15, 2008, 07:18:04 PM »
It's a beautiful drive, long but very beautiful. Drove up there with my Dad this summer, it's nice now that it's mostly paved! The first time we made the trip up there to see family the majority of the road was dirt

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #12 on: February 15, 2008, 08:00:40 PM »
I've been over the highway 13 times with family, without family and once on my Harley. But the best trip for animal viewing was 2003 I believe it was late April. I don't now where the CD is right now but the pictures are similar to Cohohos. The weirdest experience on that trip was just outside of Haines Junction. I had pulled over to get a few hours of shut eye when I felt a presence and opened my eyes to see a bloody caribou gawking at me in the Subaru. Scared the crap out of me initially.

If any of you do do this trip please make sure you stop at the bakery in Haines Junction. It's located right across the street from the National Park headquarters. This is a must do stop. I am not a real fan of baked goods but this bakery is fantastic. Just ask the gas station guys where the bakery is that located close to the park headquarters.

Our family had so many experiences on the high way over the years. I can drive it and see in my minds eye the kids when they were wee ones, and teens. We found over the years that speed related to flat tires expecially on the chip rock surface.

As a suggestion if you are driving to Alaska. Make sure you go up one highway and down another that way you can see both.
Link on www.bellsalaska.com for Alaska highway is:  http://www.bellsalaska.com/myalaska/alaska_highway.html

link for Cassiar highway is:   
http://www.bellsalaska.com/myalaska/cassiar_highway.html

Cohoho, you have opened a bag of worms my friend. I could write volumes of these highways, adventures, and all the fun and games we had as a family on the trips.

Something I want to do is drive to Muncho Lake and spend say three to 4 days there doing nothing but fish. You ought to see the fish that come out of that lake! (lake trout, grayling, white fish, burbot)


I'm  :'(  ...dam I miss the Great White North sometimes

Offline cohoho

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #13 on: February 18, 2008, 11:08:25 PM »
Can't wait to see the pics and read the adventures....

Offline Slider

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2008, 10:13:03 AM »
Most people don't know how that Highway got it's name!!! It was named the Alcan because of all the empty Oil Cans lying along the Highway when it was built!!! :o

Offline cohoho

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #15 on: February 19, 2008, 05:41:09 PM »
Sixty-five years ago this week, the Army Corps of Engineers celebrated the completion of one of the most ambitious tasks assigned them during World War II - the building of the Alaska Highway, also called the Alaska-Canadian Highway or Alcan Highway.

The global tensions in the late 1930’s between Japan and the United States focused the attention of America’s military on this area. The shortest route between Japan and the ports and factories on the west coast was via the Great Circle route over the Alaska Territory. In 1939 -1940 the U.S. government began improving Alaska’s defenses by building a series of naval bases, Army forts and air fields. By September 1941, Alaska’s military population stood at 35,000, a dramatic increase from only 1,000 in 1939.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the threat of additional attacks made Alaska a priority. And it was accessible only by air and sea. Connecting Alaska by road to Canada and the continental U. S. became a priority. The Corps of Engineers was assigned the task of building a rough bush trail and a “pioneer road” on February 14, 1942. The pioneer road was to be 32 feet wide with single lane bridges. More than 10,000 Army Soldiers, Canadian troops and civilians labored through the wilderness to complete the project in less than a year. The road traversed both Canada and the United States, beginning at Dawson Creek, British Columbia, with branches terminating at Fairbanks and Valdez, Alaska . The road also linked a string of airfields used to ferry combat aircraft to Russia as well as defend against Japan.

Seven engineer units were assigned to the project: the 18th, 35th 340th and 341st Engineers along with the African American 93rd, 95th and 97th Engineers, as well as a light pontoon company, two engineer topographic battalions and other support units. The project was divided into two sectors: the Northern Sector, with headquarters at Whitehorse, and the Southern Sector, with headquarters at Fort St. John. The first construction troops arrived on March 10, 1942 and by June all units were at work. Each unit was given approximately a 350 mile section of road to build.
Engineers faced a variety of challenges, including extreme temperatures, clouds of mosquitoes and flies, ice, snow and muskeg. Muskeg is swampy ground that is unable to support the weight of heavy vehicles. Engineers laid a corduroy road under the asphalt to provide structural support on such surfaces. A corduroy surface is created by laying down alternating layers of brush and logs. More than 100 miles of muskeg were corduroyed.

Despite the obstacles, construction continued seven days a week. By August a total of 611 miles had been completed. By September 837 miles of pioneer road were completed. On October 25, 1942 the leading bulldozers of the 18th and 97th Engineers met in the vicinity of Beaver Creek near the Alaska-Canada border. The official dedication of the Alaska Highway at Soldiers Summit was on November 20, 1942 in fifteen degree below zero weather!

The pioneer road totaled 1543 miles with more than 200 bridges and 8000 culverts.
The Alcan Highway served the American and Canadian military until the end of World War II when it was opened to civilian traffic. Alaska remained a vital military outpost through the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The Alcan Highway continues to serve both the military and civilians today.



Offline boneaddict

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Re: Driving the ALCAN Highway
« Reply #16 on: February 19, 2008, 09:47:47 PM »
Quite a bit of the old road left.  In fact slep on a couple parts of it.   Thinking the new road is much better. :)

 


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